I have a Fuji CCR3 with a triple in front, 9-speed casette in back. It came with a Shimano 105 5600 derailleur, but no local shops stock those. I've also been told that the 5600/5700 are 10-speed derailleurs and shouldn't be used on 9-speeds (though they can, they just don't work very smoothly).

In my experience, Shimano Mountain derailleurs are widely available in SGS (long-cage) and work very well with triple cranksets and 9-speed cassettes. If you have Shimano or similar brifters you should be all set (but be sure to double check. There are numerous queries on SE).
–
WTHarperSep 5 '12 at 16:05

The Deore 9-speed should work, but they're mountain bike components and this is a road bike. Are there road bike components that will work?
–
keflavichSep 5 '12 at 16:30

To add to what @keflavich said I have a Deore 8 speed on my touring bike and it has drop bars with shimano brifters and it works fine. The Deore derailleur actually the original derailleur so it could work in your situation.
–
KibbeeSep 5 '12 at 18:29

1

There is no difference between mountain and road components in terms of function. If a bike has a triple crankset and a long cage derailleur wrapping a lot of chain, most of the time it uses a "mountain" derailleur. Major manufacturers generally don't cater to roadies who use low gearing (hence, touring and utility bikes use mountain and road components).
–
WTHarperSep 5 '12 at 19:44

@WTHarper - folks at the bike shop told me the mountain bike components would have a different feel, possibly "looser" - is that incorrect? Or maybe it doesn't matter? I would expect mountain bike parts to be heavier and more robust in general; is that expectation wrong?
–
keflavichSep 5 '12 at 20:33

1 Answer
1

Depending on your gearing you might be able to use the fairly widely available RD-4500-GS. I personally haven't seen a ton of difference between 105 and Tiagra components. The sora derailleur is also available in a 9 speed configuration.